Panic Attack!
by Dreamer-In-A-Blue-Box
Summary: Anyone who has experienced a panic attack knows how terrible it can be. If the nations had panic attacks how would they affect them? How would they cope? Fluffy moments, cheesy moments and probably crack moments. I do not own Hetalia or anything in it! (I fail at summaries) ***ON HOLD*** ***EDIT 4/22/2013 Please see note at the end of chapter 2***
1. Chapter 1: Right By Your Side

*****EDIT 4/22/2013***  
As noted at the end of chapter 3 (now labeled chapter 2) I have removed the first chapter of this story for personal reasons. I may put it back up with some slight editing eventually but at this point I'm not sure...I may only do so if people want me to repost it...  
****Also this is still on hold but I will try to update as soon as possible!  
Thank you!**

Still don't own Hetalia...Just thought I'd let you all know.

**Sorry this took so long** but I'm back with the next chapter! And there was much rejoicing! *small cheer* ...yay...

...Ahem...Anyway! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**The reason it took so long** was because I wasn't feeling good about how it was turning out so I kept obsessing over it trying to fix it/make it "perfect" (I'm a perfectionist...it's really a pain...) and I just decided to stop messing around with it and give you what I have because I was taking too darn long...it's the best I could do! I really tried! (if you couldn't tell I have no self confidence...so...yeah...)

**Same** **warnings and rating from last time apply here.***

(*****Warnings from last time as taken from first chapter 1/2/2013:

**Warnings:** This is my first fanfiction. This idea came to me suddenly so I'm going to give fanfic writing a go! Don't hate me if it's terrible!  
May contain eggs, occasional use/mention of human names, tree nuts, dairy products, gluten and one OC. And if you know what a real panic attack is then you can assume that it will cause these countries to act OOC so beware of that if you don't like it.

**Rated T because** I'll be describing panic attacks (at least the way I experience them...) and I don't know if this could be some sort of trigger for someone...also there could be mild language...and I'm paranoid!

Don't like? Don't read. Just click the X at the top of the screen and walk away. Nobody has to know you were here! ;3

**Reason for writing this:** I really love Hetalia and lately it's been one of the few things that calms me down and/or brings me out of my panic attacks. So I had a thought: what if they countries had panic attacks? It's not out of the question that they would considering they're carrying the weight of their history and people on their shoulders. Anyway, enough talk, let's write! Or...I'll write...you just sit back, relax and read. **(I'm freaking out about people reading my stuff! Aaahhhh!)**

I used the Google translate thing to...well to translate things...I'm not a linguist so I apologize if stuff is wrong...I tried my best! **Translations** **will be put at the end**)

**A few things** you might want to know (since I didn't include it last time and they may be present in future chapters):

This: ~~~Marukaite Chikyuu~~~ is a chapter header and footer.

This: ~~~hetalia~~~ is a passage of time.

This: ~~~Insert Character Name~~~ is POV switch.

Flashbacks, dreams and memories will all be completely in italics.

Sound effects are all caps with italics.

Now, without further ado...

Allons-y!

~Dreamer

~~~Marukaite Chikyuu~~~

Chapter 1: Right By Your Side

"Veneziano! Our little brother is an idiot!"

Italy jumped, nearly dropping his phone as Romano's voice screamed in his ear.

"It wasn't my fault, you big jerk!" Vatican City's voice chimed in, not quite as loud but just as angry. Though he usually seemed like a mix of both himself and Romano Italy noticed that sometimes, depending on the situation, he would act more like one or the other. Right then he was sounding very much like Romano.

Maybe it had been a bad idea to let them travel alone together.

"Ve~ Stop fighting, you two. What happened?"

He heard Romano growl. "He lost our plane tickets!"

"Whaaat?!" Italy cried "That's terrible!"

"I didn't lose them!" Vatican City shouted. "Romano gave them to me this morning and I gave them back to him at lunch because I didn't _want_ to lose them!"

"But then I gave them back to you at the airport!"

"And I handed them back five minutes later!"

"I'm never taking you to Switzerland's house again!"

"I'm not a baby! I can go by myse- Romanooo! People are staring at us!"

"Well, shut up then, Vatican City!"

Italy sighed. "Ve~ Aren't you supposed to be using your human names in public, Roma-?"

"I don't give a crap right now, Vene-! ...I mean...Feliciano..."

Italy heard Romano huff angrily before continuing, "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that we won't be back until tomorrow morning...and when we get there I'd better not find you cuddling that stupid potato eating bast-Ow! Vatica-Errr! Gregorio! Don't punch me! That hurts!"

"Then stop saying mean things about Bruder Deutschland!"

They started arguing again and moments later the line went dead. Italy swallowed hard and looked around the large house.

He had been visiting Germany for the week while his brothers were away. He'd returned home in the morning so he could be there to welcome them back that night and because Germany had been busy.

Now it was late in the evening. He hadn't expected to be spending the night completely alone.

His heart fluttered uneasily. The house was so quiet.

'Maybe I should go back to Germany's house...No...he said he would be really busy today...I'm sure I'll be okay for just one night...'

~~~hetalia~~~

~~~Germany~~~

Germany looked at the pile of paperwork sitting in front of him and sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose, sensing that a headache was coming on.

'I shouldn't have put this off all week...I do like when Italy visits but he can be so distracting...'

_BAM!_

Germany yelped and jumped out of his chair as his door was slammed open.

"Hey, West! It's your awesome big bruder!" Prussia stood in the doorway, wearing his usual mischievous looking grin.

"P-Prussia!" Germany scowled at his brother. "Don't barge in like that! You scared me half to death!"

Prussia laughed. "Are you serious? That's what I was trying to do but I didn't think you would actually be scared! That's hilarious!"

Germany's eyebrow twitched. "It's not funny, bruder! I'm really stressed out from working all day!"

Prussia stopped laughing and frowned. "Well that's the problem. You haven't left this room since Italy went home this morning."

"You know you could help me with all of this."

"Or you could take a break or something."

Germany sighed. "Ja...that might be a good idea..."

"Good!" Prussia threw an arm around Germany's shoulders. "Let's go out and have beer! France and Spain are going to meet us at the bar!"

Germany wrestled his brother's arm off. "Are you kidding? There's no way I'm going out with you three when you're just going to get drunk and find trouble!"

"Aww! West! You're no fun! Come on, please?"

"Nein. I'll just stay home. I'll finish this work after a short rest."

Prussia rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Fine. Do what you want. I'm going to have some fun." Prussia saluted in an exaggerated way and ran off.

"Oh!" He called from the other room, "By the way, I'm taking your car!"

Before Germany could respond the front door slammed and the house was silent once again.

Germany shook his head. 'I swear, sometimes it's hard to believe we're related.'

~~~hetalia~~~

~~~Italy~~~  
Italy gasped and sat up in bed, clutching his blanket tightly.

He looked at the clock on his nightstand. Midnight.

Taking rapid, shaky breaths he pulled his knees up to his chest and felt the erratic beating of his heart.

A panic attack. Of course it had to happen when he was alone.

Normally he would just crawl into bed with one of his brothers or Germany but, of course, none of them were there.

He was trembling now and his mouth felt incredibly dry.

What should he do? He couldn't remember the last time he'd been alone when this happened. What was going to happen to him?

Closing his eyes he started singing. "Draw a circle, that's the earth...Draw a circle, that's the earth...Draw a circle, that's the earth...I am Hetal-"

_CREEEEAK..._

Italy whimpered at the sound. Some part of his mind knew it was just a door or something squeaking but that part was quickly being overtaken by the senseless fear and so the small noise only added to his anxiety.

It was so dark. Why hadn't he thought to turn on any lights? Now he was too afraid to move, stuck in his dark bedroom...alone.

Tears started sliding down his face and he bit a corner of his blanket.

'I should have just gone back to Germany's house. He's the one who told me not to be alone when this happened...maybe I should call him...'

_CRREEEAKKK_...

He reached over to his nightstand for his phone only to discover it wasn't there.

Shaking slightly, Italy glanced at his door, remembering that he'd left it on the couch after he'd talked with Romano. He would have to go get it...and that meant walking alone through the empty feeling house while the panic took hold.

It was that or suffer through the night completely alone. At that moment neither option was at all appealing.

'...Merda...'

Italy wrapped his blanket around himself like a cloak and, taking a breath, forced himself to stand.

He walked slowly down the hallway feeling dizzy and supporting himself on the wall. He clung to the railing with his tingling hands as he crept down the stairs on shaky legs and kept glancing over his shoulder as he walked though he didn't know why.

He had a bad feeling...like something was wrong but he didn't know what.

After what seemed like an eternity he finally stumbled into the living room and collapsed on the couch.

He took the phone from the seat next to him and pressed a button, glad that he had the number on speed dial.

~~~Germany~~~

Germany pushed his desk chair back and rubbed his aching chest as he slowly stood up.

Of course, this had to happen as soon as he was nearly finished with his work.

He was regretting his decision to stay home. If he had gone with Prussia maybe this wouldn't be happening...or at least he wouldn't be alone.

He slowly made his way to his bedroom across the hall. Picking his phone up from the nightstand he dialed Prussia's number and paced around the room while he waited.

It rang several times but there was no answer.

He tried again and it went right to his voicemail.

'...Dummkopf...he probably forgot to charge his phone...'

He tried France and Spain, recalling that Prussia had said he would be with them.

No answer from them either.

Germany stared at the phone. There was only one other person he could think of that he could call.

He debated it in his mind for several minutes before deciding against it.

Italy was probably sleeping and the thought of calling and possibly waking him seemed almost selfish.

Of course Italy had been around when Germany had attacks in the past, that wasn't the problem. But he wouldn't really be able to help him from such a long distance anyway so, in the end, it would only make Italy worry and that didn't seem right.

Setting the phone down and trying to force himself to inhale and exhale normally Germany slowly made his way to his bed and laid down.

He grabbed a pillow, hugged it to his chest and buried his face in it.

His heart was racing, his chest hurt, he was shaking and...everything just felt...wrong. The unshakable feeling that something terrible was happening or was going to happen...it was overwhelming and there was nothing he could do about it...

A buzzing sound made him look up. His phone vibrated on the nightstand.

Without looking to see who it was he answered.

"Hello?"

"G-Germany?"

It was Italy. Germany wondered briefly at the coincidence before answering.

"Ja, it-it's me..." Germany took breath, trying to steady his voice. "Do you...do you need something?"

There was a long pause before Italy responded. "I'm-I'm sorry if I w-woke you...or inturrupted y-your wo-work, Germany..."

"Nein, it's alright. I was just..." he paused as he took another breath and rolled on to his back. "...I was thinking about calling _you_, actually but...I didn't want to wake you."

"R-really?"

"Ja. Now, tell me what's wrong."

Italy whimpered. "I...I feel pretty bad right now...and-and I miei fratelli...they're not home..."

"They're not? What happened?"

"They...lost their tickets...won't be back until tomorrow..."

Germany was trying to come up with a response when his mind suddenly registered how Italy's voice sounded.

Shaky, unusually quiet, out of breath and scared.

Italy had called because he was having a panic attack too? What were the odds?

"Germany..." Italy spoke after a moment, his breathing still sounding uneven and shallow. "I...I'm scared, Germany. Really scared..."

And then Italy started to cry. It wasn't the normal Italy-crying that he always did, Germany was used to that and it rarely meant anything serious.

This was loud, pitiful-sounding, panicky sobbing. It was painful to listen to.

Germany clutched his pillow tighter in frustration, feeling even more helpless than he had before Italy called.

'What do I do?'

He could barely help himself at the moment so how was he supposed to help Italy?

There was no way he could travel to Italy's house even though he wanted to. What could he do over the phone?

Germany cleared his throat. "Italy...Italy listen to me. Can you try taking deep breaths?"

Italy didn't answer and only continued crying.

Germany tried several more times to speak to him but Italy still didn't respond. Clearly, he wasn't going to get through to him that way.

He thought for a moment. There was one thing he could try.

That song that Italy was always singing to himself might help...at least it wouldn't hurt to try. Germany had heard it often enough to memorize the words even though they didn't make much sense to him...he guessed that the song was about Italy but he'd never asked.

He took a deep breath. "Draw a circle, that's the earth. Draw a circle, that's the earth. Draw a circle, that's the earth...I am Hetalia."

As Germany continued singing, eventually starting the song over from the beginning, Italy slowly calmed down, his sobbing becoming only an occasional hiccup.

"G-Germany?" Italy squeaked, sniffling.

"Yes, Italy?"

"I...I don't want to be alone..."

In his mind Germany pictured that Italy must be curled up somewhere, eyes red from crying, feeling truly alone.

He felt a pang of sadness. "I know."

"I wish...I wish that you were here...or that I was there."

"So do I."

Italy gasped. "Ve~ Really, Germany?"

Germany's brow creased, confused. "Well...of course. Why do you sound so surprised?"

"It's...it's just that...I think I bother you too much...I know I shouldn't but..."

Germany sighed. "Nein, Italy. I mean...I won't lie, we're very different and sometimes you do things that frustrate me but that doesn't mean I don't...care about you. So...if you ever need me for something, even something you think is silly or pointless, you know where to find me. I'll be here."

He heard Italy sigh. "Grazie, Germany...Ve~ You really have been here for me for a long time...You know, Germany, the same goes for me too. You know where to find me if you need to."

Germany smiled. "Ja. I do...Are you feeling any better now?"

"I think so."

"You should try to sleep."

"I know...but...Germany...could we...could we maybe talk for a while longer? Maybe until we fall asleep?"

Germany felt slightly relieved. He'd been about to suggest the same thing.

"That sounds like a good idea."

"Oh good! Because I wanted to tell you about the song you were singing. I actually made up words for you that are different from the ones you were singing because they're about you."

Germany smiled. Italy sounded like he was back to normal, he always seemed to rebound quickly.

As they talked on and on Germany finally felt himself relaxing, beginning to drift off at last.

~~~hetalia~~~

~~~Romano~~~

They had found Veneziano sleeping on the couch, half covered by a blanket.

Romano noticed that the tv was off, so he hadn't been watching anything. What reason would he have for sleeping out here?

He was about to voice this question out loud to Vatican City when he noticed that Veneziano was lightly clutching a phone in his hand.

Vatican City took the phone before he could, looked at it and then pushed a button. "The call was still going. I think he must have fallen asleep talking to Germany. Or I guess they fell asleep talking to each other since nobody ended the call."

Romano fumed, snatching the phone away. "What?! Why would-!"

"Shhh!" Vatican City held a finger to his lips and pointed to Veneziano. "Don't wake him up! He might have had a bad night. You know he doesn't like being alone."

Crossing his arms, Romano glared at the phone as if _it_ was to blame and lowered his voice. "I don't get it. They...they aren't alike at all. How are they..."

"Friends?" Vatican City finished his sentence. "I think...I think it's because they're good for each other in different ways. They're different but that's what makes them close. They each have something to give that the other doesn't." As he spoke, the boy gently covered Veneziano with the blanket.

Romano blinked and then shook his head, turning away from his brother and leaving the room. "Whatever. I don't need you getting all philosophical with me."

~~~Prussia~~~

Prussia laughed quietly as he hung up the phone he'd taken from his brother's hand. He must have fallen asleep talking with Italy.

'He really must have been up late if he's still sleeping.'

West looked like he was sleeping peacefully enough so he was probably okay. 'I'll call and check on him later...after I find my phone.'

Setting the phone on the nightstand he crept out of the room and returned to the kitchen where he had left France and Spain.

France was holding a bag of ice over a bruise on his forehead and Spain was leaning over the sink and splashing water on his face. Both were complaining about their headaches.

Prussia had a headache as well but he was ignoring it. He was too awesome for a little hangover to bother him.

He gave his friends a thumbs up. "We're clear. West is still sleeping. Let's go!"

Both friends groaned.

"Do we have to go now?" Asked Spain, turning off the water. "We just woke up an hour ago...in your garage..."

"Can't we rest a bit, mon ami?" France moaned. "I don't think any of us even remember what happened."

"Actually..." Spain looked around, "...do you guys even remember how we got back here?"

Prussia reached into a cupboard and pulled out a bottle of pain killers. "Take some medicine if you need it but we need to go before West wakes up...If we can't find his car he's going to kill me!"

~~~Marukaite Chikyuu~~~

**Translations:**

Bruder Deutschland - Brother Germany (German)

Ja - Yes (German)

Nein - No (German)

Merda - Crap (Italian) (it also translates into sh*t...just in case you were wondering...)

Dummkopf - Idiot (German)

I miei fratelli - My brothers (Italian)

mon ami - my friend (French)

I know that was short and kind of bad but...**Yay for random BFT** **ending** xP I just felt obligated to fit them in because I mentioned them at the beginning.

**Chapter Title is based off the song If You Ever Need Me by Matthew West**. I think the song fits them really well for this chapter. (yes, I did have Germany paraphrase a line from the song for fluff reasons...I think I fail at fluff though...I fail at this story...) It's a good song :3

**Heads Up:** I will try to update when I can but with school and writers block and other things it may be at least two-three weeks between updates.

**Also:** I have an idea for a Hetalia crossover AU fic that I may start working on! It's exciting and I really want to write it so you may see something from that soon! ^.^

And...**any preference on who should go next?**(just keep in mind there really aren't many ways to describe a panic attack...at least not that I know of...so they'll all be very similar but the situation would be different...just putting that out there in case you're already tired of this :P)

**Thanks again for reading! Please review!**

Peace out!

~Dreamer


	2. Chapter 2: Good Intentions

**Hetalia. It isn't mine**...if it was I wouldn't be writing fanfiction xP

**Ciao/Hello, my lovely readers! I'm so so sorry about the wait!** I wanted to reply to all the positive reviews with a personal thanks...but I've been busy...and **I've been having some medical/health issues** **so there's been a lot on my mind**...but I'm back with more!

**I want to say a super big thank you for all the reviews!** You really don't know how happy they make me! It makes me happier than Italy rolling around on the ground with a cute kitty! Or happier than America with a hamburger! Or happier than England with all his magical friends! Maybe all three of those combined! So so so happy! Thank you thank you thank you! xD

**Note:** I won't exactly be doing to the requests/suggestions in order that they were given simply because I can't force my brain to write something if it wants to write something else. So if I don't get around to a requested country for a while it's because my brain hates me and wants me to suffer...

So this chapter is Romano! Yay! x3 I really love Romano! He's one of my favorite characters! I always like characters that get really angry...I'm not sure why :P

**I've had the worst writer's block lately** so please forgive the crappyness that may ensue -_- ...  
(also, don't ask where they are in this chapter...I honestly don't know :P)

**Same warnings from last time apply here with one extra: be aware of Romano's mouth** ;3 We love him but, as we all know, his language can be...colorful. Certain things may be "bleeped" out since I myself do not swear like him and I'm not comfortable with writing tons of swear words...just in case someone I actually know happens to read this xP)

**Any translations will be put at the end** courtesy of Google (even though it isn't 100% accurate/correct it's all I have -_- sorry again )

**Transition Thingies:**

This: ~~~Marukaite Chikyuu~~~ is a chapter header and footer.

This: ~~~hetalia~~~ is a passage of time.

This: ~~~Insert Character Name~~~ is POV switch.

Flashbacks, dreams and memories will all be completely in italics.

Sound effects are all caps with italics.

And now on with the story! ...And I hope I'm not the only one singing 'The Delicious Tomato Song' in my head/out loud because of Romano x3

Buono Tomato! xD

~Dreamer

~~~Marukaite Chikyuu~~~

Chapter Three: Good Intentions

The wind whipped around Romano as he ran, his feet splashing through puddles on the sidewalk.

There was a flash of lightning followed immediately by a crash of thunder that shook the air around him.

"Romano!" The voice of his Spanish companion, who had fallen behind long ago, barely rose above the noise of the tempest, "Wait for me, por favor!"  
Romano groaned loudly as he reluctantly halted and turned. "Why don't you try being faster, idiota?! We're in the middle of a freaking thunderstorm!"

Spain caught up, breathing heavily and holding his guitar case tightly to his chest. Romano glared at the Spaniard's instrument before turning and continuing on down the sidewalk, this time with Spain at his side.

"Why did you have to bring that anyway?" Romano growled angrily, "We'd be back at the hotel already if it wasn't slowing you down!"

Spain replied but Romano couldn't hear him over another clap of thunder. That, and he'd really stopped caring about what Spain thought and said a half an hour earlier...

_Romano looked up at the sky. "Hey Spain. I thought you said it wasn't going to rain today."  
"It isn't." Spain didn't bother looking up from where he sat under the tree, strumming his guitar.  
Romano huffed, frustrated. "Then what's with all the dark clouds and the wind, idiota?"  
"Hm?" Now Spain looked up, surprised, apparently just noticing how the sun had disappeared and the wind had picked up.  
He shrugged. "Oh. Well, it doesn't look _too_ bad." he went back to strumming.  
Romano glared at him and stood up. "We should probably go back to the hotel."  
"Aww, but the park is so nice, Romano." Spain frowned.  
"I don't ***ing care. If we get caught in a storm and I get soaked I'll kill you."  
"Romano, it isn't going to storm. It doesn't even look like-"  
A flash of lightning. A clap of thunder.  
Romano barely gave Spain time to pack up his guitar before dragging him along behind him.  
_

They finally reached the hotel, dripping water all over the floor when they stepped inside through the revolving door.

Romano noticed that the other nations must have had the sense to stay inside since many of them were hanging around the lobby.

England, Austria and Japan were sitting in the armchairs in one corner of the lobby, chatting and sipping tea. America, Denmark and Prussia were all running around in circles in the revolving door at the hotel's other entrance while Germany, Canada and Norway stood by trying to stop them, looking thoroughly annoyed and embarrassed. And lastly Switzerland, Russia, Australia, Veneziano and Vatican City were sitting around a coffee table and playing some sort of card game.

Romano shook some of the water out of his hair and glared at Spain. "You're ***ing dead, Spagna."

"Oh come on, Romano. A little rain never hurt anyone. We'll just go up to our room and dry off."

Romano groaned at being reminded that he and his brothers were sharing a hotel room with Spain because, at the moment, he didn't even want to be within three feet of the man.

Grumbling curses under his breath Romano began to march off towards the stairs, his shoes squishing noisily.

"Let's just take the elevator, Romano." Spain said. "I'm too tired to walk up all those stairs."

"I'm not asking you to come with me, d***it." Romano grumbled.

Spain took him by the arm and pulled him towards the elevator.

"Come on. It'll be faster this way." Spain pushed the button and Romano jerked his arm away.

"No, Spain!"

"But-"

"I'm not getting on a ***ing elevator!"

If it had been anyone else, all the yelling would have probably drawn some attention. But since it was Romano and most of the people around them were the other nations, they were used to these arguments between the Italian and whoever he happened to be talking to.

The only people who seemed to notice were a few of the hotel staff that didn't look like they wanted to interfere anyway. They also seemed a little preoccupied with trying to help Germany and Norway stop the three idiots from abusing the revolving door. Canada, it seemed, had given up and was simply standing out of the way, letting the others deal with his unruly brother.

The elevator doors opened and Romano folded his soaked arms and scowled, dead set against cooperating with his old boss.

Spain sighed. "You're really going to walk up all those stairs? Our room is on the top floor, Romano."

"Do I look like I give a crap?!" Romano shouted, pointing to his angry and wet face.

It wasn't elevators that he was afraid of. He'd made that clear, or at least tried to, to anyone who knew about his problem.

No, it was small spaces, or rather the thought of being trapped inside them, that scared him.

It wasn't exactly a secret but not many people knew that Romano was claustrophobic.

Small spaces, crowds, even having to stay in one place too long were a few of the things that set it off. Airplanes were nearly impossible and he only managed it if he had medication to keep himself asleep during the flight.

Spain was very aware of his claustrophobia which is what made his suggestion of riding in the elevator so irritating.

"It's really not that bad, you know." Spain said, "It only takes few seconds and it's over."

"You think I don't know that?! I've tried before and I always get off before the doors close! It's not like I want to take the stairs all the time!"

"Then maybe this will be good for you. I was reading about this treatment for claustrophobia that might-"

"You're not a *** doctor!"

"You won't even let me explain?"

"No!"

The elevator doors started to slide shut and Spain stuck his arm, along with his guitar, in between them to hold them open.

Spain looked like he was pondering something and then his face brightened.

"Well...how about we make a bet then." He said cheerfully. "If we take the elevator and it's really too much for you then I'll never ask you to ride in one again and I'll buy you and your brothers dinner every night for a week."

"No way in hell!"

"Two weeks?"

"Try a month."

"Seriously?"

The two stared each other down for a long moment before Spain sighed, defeated.

"Fine. A whole month...but if it's not as bad as you think then you have to do the same for me. Deal?"

Romano scowled. "Deal."

Spain stepped inside the elevator and held the door open.

Romano stood there for a moment, still angry with Spain and still apprehensive about being in the elevator.

The small, windowless, inescapable elevator.

His throat tightened and he swallowed hard as he loosened his tie with shaky fingers.

d***it! He was already freaking out!

Spain leaned his guitar against the wall, took Romano's hand and gently pulled him into the elevator.

Romano stood in the center of the elevator and watched as the doors closed.

His stomach lurched. His palms began to sweat. He couldn't do this.

"****! I changed my mind!"

He attempted to press the the button to open the doors but Spain beat him to it...and pressed the button for the top floor.

For a brief second Romano was stunned and he simply looked at Spain in disbelief as the elevator began to ascend.

Spain looked at him guiltily and mumbled, "Sorry amigo."

Anger boiled up inside him.

Romano grabbed Spain by the collar of his shirt and shoved him against the wall.

"Why the *** did you do that?!"

Spain looked a little nervous, probably realizing that he had trapped himself with an Italian who was now as angry as a wet cat.

He spoke hurriedly as if his explanation would magically calm Romano down.

"Because this could help you! I was trying to tell you before that there's this treatment, I don't remember what it's called, where you have to force yourself to be in a situation where you'll definitely feel claustrophobic and scared and afterwards it won't be as bad because you'll see that-"

_SMACK!_

Romano didn't hit him as hard as he could have but it was hard enough to leave a red mark on Spain's cheek and even sting the back of his own hand.

Spain looked a little shocked but he didn't say anything.

They were passing the 9th floor now but neither one was paying much attention.

"What the *** kind of *** 'treatment' is that?!" Romano shouted, releasing Spain and backing away to the other side of the elevator, "Who the *** comes up with this ***?!"

"I don't know!" Spain straightened his shirt, still wide-eyed from the shock of being backhanded. "I just read about it online!"

"And that makes you an expert?! This is stupid!"

"Romano, I'm sorry but if you just listen to me and-"

"No! I don't need to do a freaking thing you freaking tell me! You're a-"

The lights flickered and they both looked up, silent for a moment.

Romano swallowed hard. "Please tell me that didn't just happen."

They flickered again.

Spain laughed nervously. "I-I'm sure it's nothing. Just some lights that need to be replaced that's all."

The lights went out and they were left in complete darkness.

Spain gasped and Romano shrieked as he usually did when frightened.

He desperately groped around behind him in the darkness until he felt the railing on the wall and clung to it like a life line.

"Spain! What the hell?! What the hell is going on?!"

"Hold on, Romano. Get your phone out and use it as a flashlight." Spain sounded entirely too calm and this aggravated Romano even more.

"I can't! I don't have it!"

Across the elevator from Romano a small light appeared and dimly lit up the small space.

Spain held his phone up and looked around. "Looks like the power went out."

Rolling his eyes and crossing his arms, Romano grumbled, "Oh, you're a real genius. How'd you figure that out?"

Spain started to cross to him but Romano shot him an angry look.

"Don't come near me, Spain!"

"But I-"

"You know what? Don't even move from that spot!"

Spain froze in place and looked at him apologetically. "...I guess you're pretty mad, huh?"

"That's a freaking understatement."

"Well at least I have my guitar! I could-"

"If you play that thing I will break your *** fingers!"

There was a short pause. Romano saw Spain gently touch his cheek where he'd struck him.

"Does it hurt?" Romano mumbled.

"Yeah." Spain gently rubbed the area. "It stings pretty bad."

"Good."

Another pause.

Romano discretely rubbed the back of his hand. It stung a little too. Probably not as bad as Spain's cheek but it still stung.

Maybe he'd hit him harder than he'd thought.

Spain sighed. "You must really hate me."

Romano, broken out of his thoughtful trance and reminded that he was angry, glared but didn't reply.

Spain looked hurt. "You're not going to deny it?!"

"You expect me to deny it _now_?! _Here_?! After a full day of you being an idiot like usual?! I think I'm getting an ulcer because of you!"

"You know you could be getting an ulcer from all the tomatoes that you-"

"Do you want me to strangle you?!"

The phone suddenly began to ring, playing some Latin guitar tune. Spain answered it, setting it to speaker phone so he could keep the light exposed.

"Hola, Prussia!" He said cheerfully.

Romano wanted to slap him again, only harder this time. Why in the world did he have to be so happy right now?!

"Hey! You won't believe what just happened!" Prussia was laughing and sounded thrilled. "It's hilarious! The storm knocked out the power in the hotel!"

Romano huffed angrily. Stupid red-eyed potato freak!

"I know." Spain replied, "I'm in the hotel too."

"Where?"

Spain chuckled. "Well...we're in the elevator."

Prussia stopped laughing and there was a brief silence before he responded. "You mean...actually _in_ the elevator_ right now_? And who is 'we'?"

"Romano and I. And yes, we were in the elevator when the power went out so..."

Prussia suddenly burst out laughing again. "Oh man! Sucks to be you guys! You won't be getting out of there for a while!"

Romano stiffened and his breath caught in his throat as he suddenly remembered where he was.

His tantrum had preoccupied him before but now he was no longer distracted and he became fully aware of the situation.

He was trapped...in an elevator.

He looked around.

The elevator, like any other, wasn't very roomy to begin with but now it seemed entirely too small...and getting smaller.

He attempted to swallow but his mouth was suddenly dry and his throat was tight, making it hard to breathe.

"Sp-Spain..." he stammered, barely able to whisper. He backed into the corner, his breathing becoming labored and shallow.

Spain seemed to register the fear in Romano's voice. "Oh crap! Prussia, I gotta go!"

He ended the call and turned to Romano, speaking in his usual upbeat way. "Listen, we'll be fine, Roma. We just have to wait for the power to come back on. It'll be okay."

Romano felt his heart racing and the blood pounding in his head. His breathing was erratic and he felt incredibly lightheaded.

He gripped his hair with his hands, sinking to the floor.

This couldn't be happening. There was no way this was really happening!

He wanted to scream, cry, something, _anything_, but he felt frozen. He wanted to get out but, of course, there was no way he could.

"Romano?" Spain sounded worried but he stayed where he was as Romano had commanded, probably not wanting to upset him further.

Romano looked at him.  
He was still angry with the Spaniard. Heck, he was furious! After all, it was Spain's fault they were in this mess.

But as difficult as they're relationship could be at times they were still friends. And at the moment Romano's fear was outweighing his anger and he desperately needed someone who cared about him.

Still finding himself unable to speak or move from his spot in the corner, Romano looked up at Spain pleadingly and reached out to him with trembling hands.

Before he could even blink Romano's face was being crushed into Spain's shoulder as the man embraced him.

He was reminded that they were both still soaked from the rain.

"Lo siento, Roma." Spain whispered, gently stroking the back of Romano's head. "Lo siento."

Tears suddenly welled up in his eyes and Romano began to sob.  
He didn't resist as Spain pulled him into his lap and gently rocked him like a child.

_Romano pounded his small fist against the bedroom door.  
It opened and a very groggy Spaniard stood looking down at him.  
Romano sniffled, hugging his pillow to his chest, while trying to look as stoic as possible.  
It didn't work.  
Spain yawned. "Oh, Romano. You had another nightmare, didn't you?"  
The tears were starting again and Romano furiously rubbed his eyes in a vain attempt to keep them at bay.  
Spain frowned and crouched down so they were on the same level. "Mijo, I hate seeing you so upset."  
Romano scowled and his lip quivered. "Th-then do something about it, s-stupido!_"  
_Spain, looking slightly amused, sighed and scooped the little Italian boy up in his arms, pillow and all.  
He carried him into the bedroom and tucked him into bed beside him, chuckling.  
"Maybe we should just move your bed in here and save you the trip down the hall."  
"Shut up, Spagna!"  
"I'm only teasing, mijo."  
Spain yawned and closed his eyes. He laid a protective arm over the boy and hummed a soothing lullaby.  
Romano grumbled as if he were displeased with the contact but secretly relished in the feeling of safety that came over him.  
He ever so slightly huddled closer to Spain.  
"Buenas noches, Romano."_  
_"...Buona notte, Spagna."_

"I guess some things never change." Spain said thoughtfully, as if he'd seen the memory playing out in Romano's head.

Romano, having calmed down considerably, rubbed his eyes and was about to reply when the lights suddenly flickered on.

A moment later the elevator doors slid open.

They both sat there for a moment in stunned silence.

Romano bolted upright. "I'm getting the hell out of here!"

Spain laughed. "Right behind you!"

Romano scrambled out the door and Spain followed after he'd retrieved his guitar.

They stood out in the hall for a moment where Spain continued to laugh and Romano only leaned tiredly against the wall, sighing with relief.

He turned to Spain. "I win."

Spain stopped laughing and looked perplexed. "Qué?"

"We made a deal, remember? The elevator was a virtual hell and you own me big time."

Now it was Spain's turn to lean against the wall as he groaned. "I was sort of hoping you would forget..."

"Not a chance."

"...Every night for a whole month?"

"That's right."

Spain groaned. "You really do hate me..."

"Oh shut up with the hating thing already! I wouldn't bother to eat dinner every night for a whole month with someone I hate, idiota!"

There was a somewhat awkward silence as Spain smiled and Romano did his best to maintain his scowl, neither one able to think of anything to say.

After a moment Spain turned his attention to the number beside the elevator door telling them what floor they were on.

The 21st floor. Only five floors before they reached their own.

"So close." Spain shook his head and sighed. "I knew you'd be mad...that was actually my plan. You're never scared when you're angry so I figured if I forced you to ride in the elevator against your will you'd be too upset with me to actually care about why you were mad in the first place. If the power hadn't gone out you might have made it...even if it was only because you were too busy wanting to kill me..."

"Yeah..." Romano paused for a moment. Spain was right. He'd never been able to actually stay inside an elevator for more than five seconds and here he'd almost managed to reach the top floor...of course he'd been infuriated half out of his mind...but to him it still counted because, at first, he hadn't been afraid.

Maybe, eventually, he could do it without getting angry.

Maybe he _could_ get better...even just a little. It would be better than nothing.

He smiled to himself.

Maybe...someday.

Romano took Spain's guitar case from him and slung it over his should as he headed for the stairs. "Maybe next time, Spagna."

He cast a glance back at Spain who looked a little surprised before smiling and hurrying to catch up.

"Sorry about your face, by the way..." Romano grumbled.

"That's alright, Roma-"

"At least it didn't make you look any worse."

"Romano! You're so mean."

~~~Marukaite Chikyuu~~~

**Translations:**

Por favor - Please (Spanish)

Idiota - Idiot (Italian)

Spagna - Spain (Italian)

Amigo - Friend (Spanish)

Hola - Hello (Spanish)

Lo siento - I'm Sorry (Spanish)

Mijo - My son (Spanish) (I looked this up. Apparently this can be used as a term of endearment in Spanish even if the child being addressed isn't the person's own child. I believe Spain would use this for Romano :3)

Stupido - Stupido (Italian)

Buenas noches - Good Night (Spanish)

Buona notte - Good Night (Italian)

Qué - What (Spanish)

**Sorry if this is lame!** **So so sorry!** (I'm sitting here finishing this at 1:15 AM the day after my birthday, March 1st, so please don't be harsh!)  
I love Romano and Spain and I tried so hard but I don't think I did them justice! ...But I had to update so it was either this or nothing!

(You get a cookie if you noticed the Awesome Trio reference! xD The Awesome Trio needs more love! That's all I have to say about that! xP)

I think this chapter makes it pretty obvious that I support Papa/Parental Spain! That's just the vibe I get when I watch the Boss Spain and Chibi Romano episodes...so many fluffy feelings! Especially after the new episode this week!  
I hope everyone is enjoying Hetalia: The Beautiful World as much as I am! xD

**Chapter Title isn't anything clever...**just the fact that Spain had good intentions that sadly turned out to be a bad idea.

**Sort of important Future Update Notice:** I'm not going to put this entirely on hold but it won't be my forefront project for a while at least...I was attacked by two wild plot bunnies...one has been nagging at my brain and demands to be written and so I shall oblige! It's been dominating my thoughts for a while and I really want to start writing it!  
I won't give anything away right now...but it's going to be a Hetalia crossover AU fanfic and it should be fun for me to write (and hopefully fun for you to read)...I need to do something fun after the past few months I've had...

**Anyway!**  
**Thanks again for reading!**

Peace out!

~Dreamer

**~*~*~*4/3/2013 EDIT! IMPORTANT NOTE!*~*~*~**

Hello my lovely readers! I'm so sorry I haven't updated (I've been having the same issues as before)!

Unfortunately...this isn't exactly an update either...I know I know! I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me! I just needed to tell you a couple things about this fic really quick!

**1)** It's probably going to be on hold for a while...I'm sorry. I won't stop doing it (as long as people like it)...I'm just going to take a break and do other fics for a while.

**2)** I'm going to most likely be deleting the first chapter. It was written in the midst of me being very emotional and needing to vent and I've just suddenly realized how...well just how embarressed I feel that I wrote it because, as I think I mentioned before, everything V.C. does in that chapter is what I do and I feel kind of stupid knowing that people know that now...so unless I can somehow be convinced otherwise I will be deleting that chapter in the next few days. If I don't delete it I may just do some editing instead and make it a little less personal...I just don't know...

**3)** This is a little treat to let you know I'm not giving up on this fic! The next chapter will (hopefully) be America! Heck yeah! US of A! *ahem* Anyway, I'm working on it now actually. However I can't say just when it will be done...also it probably won't be very long.

**4)** I've almost finished the first chapter of my Hetalia crossover AU fic! Woohoo! It should be up within a day or two! (if anyone wanted to know...)

So that's all. I just wanted to let anyone who cares know what the hold up was.

Peace out! ~Dreamer


End file.
